In case you missed it in my Boys of Summer column in Sunday's print edition of The Morning Call, here's a look at our Lehigh Valley entries in the Keystone State Games that fared quite well recently in the Harrisburg area with the scholastic team winning the silver and the junior division team winning the bronze. The combined effort earned the local guys the Karwoski Cup signifying the best overall region in KSG baseball.

Here's a look at the juniors:

And here's the recap of the juniors games:

This year the Keystone Junior team finished with a bronze medal and a hard earned one at that. In pool play the team finished 4-2 including two come from behind victories against Delaware Valley (Game 1) and Pocono (Game 6) where the team rallied to an 8-7 win after being down 7-1 going into the 6th inning. In our two losses the team never gave up rallying back from a 5-1 deficit against West to a 5-3 final and even more impressive fighting back against Nittany in the 6th inning to force an extra inning contest loss of 8-7.

Game-by-Game

DVL -- The squad earned a victory in a very unlikely fashion as miscommunication between DVL outfielders allowed winning run Tyler Schreiner (Northwestern Lehigh) to score from second for a 6-5 final. This was made possible by a dominant performance from pitcher Cody Masters (Emmaus) who was brought in in the 4th to relieve starter Nate Kitchell. Key hits in the game came from Nate Markowicz (Parkland) and Jake Morgan (Liberty).

BMT -- The entire team contributed in this game backed by an impressive on the mound by starter AJ Denny (Stroudsburg) who went 5 innings allowing just one run in the 12-1 victory. Offensively each player contributed during this game once again lead by Jake Morgan (Liberty) who had 4 RBI's and two runs scored alone.

CAP -- This was a key game for LV by opening up day 2 with another tough match up set later in the afternoon. The team responded by posting a score of 8-3 highlighted by another great pitching performance by Matt Mellinger (Parkland) and relieved by Mike Jenkins (Parkland) in the 7th.

WEST -- Always the toughest opponent in the tournament West came out the gates early putting up 3 runs in the first two innings with no response. LV repsonded with 2 of their own in the 5th before West put the final two runs up in the top of the 6th. The team managed just one more run before suffering the 5-3 defeat. Throughout the entire game the team showed a sense of urgency and never once gave in.

NIT – Saturday morning brought another tough opponent in Nittany. Nittany jumped out early to put 5 unanswered runs on the LVL squad. With defeat almost imminent in the 6th inning the team rose to the occasion putting up 5 runs to tie the game. They then kept the game going fighting to tie the game at 6 and then 7-7 until Nittany put the final run on the board in the bottom of the 8th to give LVL their second loss. Most notable in the game was a stellar performance on the mound by Matt Dobeck (Whitehall) and hitting performances from Tyler Schreiner (Northwestern), Tyler Horvath (Pocono Mt.), Nate Kitchell (Stroudsburg), and CJ Peechatka (Pocono Mt.) who played a key part in the 5 run comeback.

POC -- Undoubtedly the most exciting game of the tournament, the boys found themselves down by 6 runs going into the 6th inning with a score of 7-1. The offense then went to work putting up 3 runs in the bottom of the sixth (7-4) and loading the bases for a walk-off basehit by Emmett McCauley (Stroudsburg). AJ Denny and Nate Kitchell (both Stroudburg) combined in a phenomenal relief effort holding Pocono to only 3 runs after the 3rd inning. As the winning run crossed the plate the team charged out of the dugout to pile onto the game winning hitter Emmett McCauley knowing that they had just earned a berth into the bronze medal game.

BRONZE GAME -- The team came into the morning ready to play as they responded to an early first run with 3 of their own. They then added 2 more in the 5th to seal the 5-3 victory. Capital would not go quietly as they ended the game with runners on the 2nd and 3rd in an attempt to tie it up. Pitching performances from Mike Jenkins (Parkland), Cody Masters (Emmaus) and Tyler Horvath (Pocono Mt.) were the reason capital were unable to get back into the game

Unlike last year, the LVL Scholastic Team opened strong with an impressive 6-4 win on Thursday night over Blue Mountain. LVL rode the experienced arm of left hander Nick Dominici (Pleasant Valley) who battled for 6 1/3 innings before closer Bryce Crum (Whitehall) sealed the deal for the LVL Squad. Will Stackhouse (Northampton) was the offensive hero for LVL; going 3 for 3 with 2 RBI’s…

LVL rallied from a 2 run deficit in game #2 against rival Delaware Valley – scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning. The walk off single was provided by Isaac Neal (Parkland). LVL battled hard behind an impressive pitching performance by Luke Hohenstein of Pocono Mountain East, who also added 3 hits to help his own cause.

The LVL team came out swinging in Game #3 Friday night vs. Nittany by posting a 15 -1 win. Evan McAndrew (Parkland) pitched 5 strong innings for LVL and was supported by a 13 hit LVL offensive onslaught. Mike Luke (Notre Dame GP), Isaac Neal (Parkland), Tyler Bruno (Parkland), and Gianni Sinatore (Whitehall) each had 2 hits for the winners.

The LVL Team (3-0) battled hard on Saturday morning against a very experienced and also undefeated Harrisburg Capitals Team but came up on the short end of a 1-0 loss behind an impressive 5 hit pitching performance by Notre Dame GP’s Zach Luke… LVL could only manage 4 hits against the eventual Gold Medal winning CAPs, who again defeated the well balanced and scrappy LVL Team 4-3 on Sunday in the Championship Game …

In Game 5 – Moravian Academy’s Tanner Shane pitched a gem to secure LVL’s position in the Gold Medal contest. The crafty left hander kept a very competitive WEST (Pittsburgh) Team off balance by scattering 7 hits and striking out 4 in an LVL 5-4 win. Nick Dominici (Pleasant Valley) and Ian Csencsits (Northampton) each drove in key runs for LVL.

This event represented the 9th consecutive year that an LVL Baseball Team has medaled at the Keystone State Games – and the second year in a row that both the Junior and Scholastic Teams have been recognized with medal winning performances. The LVL Junior Team earned the Silver Medal in 2013, and the Bronze this past week – 2014 yielded the opposite results with the LVL Scholastic squad capturing Bronze in 2013 and Silver in 2104.

Just a great team effort and an event more energizing experience for this group of young players who plan to be back in 2015 to defend their titles!

Jeff Fisher was always a good guy during his days at Channel 69 and that hasn't changed since he moved to the Los Angeles area.

I always liked Jeff and Tom Leyden and admired how they worked hard to carve a niche our community. Even though both moved on elsewhere, they still maintain many local connections and keep tabs on what's happening back here.

Media people in general, and TV people in particular, can be a bit standoffish. Not these two.

Fisher always had a great passion for high school football. In fact, he was the orginator of the popular "Big Ticket" show and he has continued his love of high school football on a more national scope with his www.highschoolfootballamerica.com site and his podcasts and radio shows.

His focus is primarily on the Southern Callifornia area, but perhaps no one around the country is more in tune with what's going on nationally than Fisher, who runs his business with his longtime girlfriend Trish Hoffman.

It was an honor to be asked to be appear on Fisher's show a couple of weeks ago and we covered a lot of ground as we talked about Lehigh Valley high school football, past and present.

We talked about Andre Reed's induction into the Hall of Fame and Lehigh Valley football tradition and a bunch of other stuff, including Thanksgiving Day football, which evidently is not that big of a deal in SoCal.

We also talked about some of the negatives of high school football circa 2014.

As someone who usually asks the questions, it was fun to be on the receiving end from Jeff.

Here's a link to that interview. Not sure, but I think we talked for at least 25 or 30 minutes, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

After her son's special moment in Canton this past weekend, a moment she made possible by holding her family together and teaching Andre Reed all the right things, Joyce Reed-Ebling will be speaking this Saturday at Whitehall High School's second annual Mom's Clinic.

It runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. I will also be there as will longtime area official Glenn Rissmiller and many others to help get the ladies all excited and set for the upcoming football season and to give them some insights.

As we all know, football iseveryone's passion. It's not just about the guys.

This event is a great kickoff to the season, passing along some information in an entertaining way.

Here's the information from a Mom's Clinic release:

2nd Annual

Whitehall Zephyr Football

Mom’s Clinic

Saturday, August 9th

9:00 am—3:00 pm

Zephyr Football Stadium

Coach Brian Gilbert and the Whitehall Zephyr Football Coaching Staff invite all Moms, Aunts, Grandmothers, and Sisters to the 2nd Annual Mom’s Clinic. This is your opportunity to meet the Coaches, other Moms, and gain valuable insight into the Whitehall Zephyr Football program.

I heard so many speeches this past weekend that I can't exactly remember who said what, but one thing I heard was that "Canton, Ohio, is the place where dreams come true."

Certainly, Andre Reed and his family and friends felt that way.

And as someone who wrote about Andre in the fall of 1981 when I was a part-timer at The Morning Call and he was Dieruff's senior quarterback, I felt that way as well.

For me, this past weekend was one of the highlights of my career, which began 35 years ago, three months after I graduated from Dieruff.

This September I will be a full-time writer for 32 years and have written an estimated 16,000 stories. None were more special to me than the ones I wrote this weekend.

From the reaction I received, people were reading my stories this past weekend more than usual. I got a lot of positive feedback.

I am sure it wasn't that I suddenly became a great writer. No, people knew they were witnessing something that is highly unlikely to happen again around here any time soon. They were experiencing history, not only for Dieruff and Kutztown, but the entire Lehigh Valley.

God bless Andre Williams and Devin Street who are just embarking on the start of their NFL careers.

Who knows? If the Hall of Fame can happen to a kid from Kutztown, why not Williams or Street who played at Boston College and Pitt?

But the odds are long against itl happening to anyone to come out of this area. When you consider the tens of thousands of football players we've had around here, just two from the Lehigh Valley -- Chuck Bednarik and Andre -- have had their busts placed in that wonderful museum just off I-77 in Eastern Ohio. Jim Ringo, who grew up in Phillipsburg would be a third if you consider P'burg to be part of the Lehigh Valley.

Had Dan Koppen, Nate Hobgood-Chittick, Mike Guman or Joe Wolf, all guys I've gotten to know over the years received the same honor I would have been thrilled.

However, since I've known this family for more than 30 years and having written extensively about Andre's uncles Dave and Herb Hemerly going way back to the early 80s, I felt emotionally connected to everything that transpired this weekend.

Here's a Top 12 list of things I will remember. I apologize for the photos and the comments not being in complete sync, but hopefully you can follow along as we recap one of the best weekends I can remember in a long time.

No. 12Getting to see the smiles on the faces of the family at the Gold Jacket Dinner on Friday night. Here's Andre's brother Tyrone, son Daxton and Ty's girlfiend Karla Durn before dinner.

No. 11 -- Seeing all of the legends of the game's past introduced on Friday night; people I watched in awe as a child like Jim Brown (pictured), Gale Sayers and Mean Joe Greene.

No. 10 -- Seeing Andre get his gold jacket for the first time and show it off for his family.

No. 9 -- Getting to experience Saturday morning's Hall of Fame parade in downtown Canton which was the best parade I've ever been to, and thinking how everyone back home should be here.

No. 8 -- Seeing the Dieruff ROTC and band lead the Andre Reed unit down the streets of Canton. The Dieruff fight song, which I first probably heard when I was five, never sounded better.

No. 7 -- Seeing the smile of Joyce Reed-Ebling as she waved to the fans who were shouting "Andre Reed, we love you!" along the parade route.

No. 6 -- Seeing Barb (Weiss) Snyder, a classmate of Andre's, talk her way past security and come out on to the parade route. While she was the only one who got to do it, I looked at it as symbolic gesture because this weekend everyone who ever cared about Dieruff wanted to give him a hug.

No. 5 -- Walking down the parade route -- 2 miles worth -- with Andre's step-father John Ebling and realizing how many Buffalo Bills and Andre Reed fans there were in Canton. It was a tie between him and Michael Strahan for most popular.

No. 4 --It took awhile for him to get to the stage on Saturday, but once he did, Andre knocked it out of the park with one of the best acceptance speeches I've ever heard. And it was capped off by the most memorable pass ever from No. 12 to No. 83.

No. 3 -- Having my son, Chris, with me at Andre's post-induction party and seeing the thrill on his face as he got to rub shoulders with some people he'd normally never get to see up close. Chris is an Allentown fireman who has worked extremely hard to get where he is. Like Andre, he has done all of the right things in life. Even this weekend, he happily became a volunteer cab service with our rental car when some people from our bus were left stranded. Chris took the time to make several back-and-forth stops between the Civic Arena and the Hall of Fame, about a 15-minute ride one way, so people could enjoy themselves without having to wait for a bus that took a long time in coming, if it ever did. I am very proud of him and was very proud to have him with me in Canton. That's him on the left with me and Joyce at the post-induction party in downtown Canton.

No. 2 -- On a night in which everyone was asking Andre for photos, he took the time to ask me to join him for a photo in front of his replica bust at his party. He probably didn't realize it, but that gesture meant the world to me. On this night when he clearly belonged to the world, he didn't forget the guy from back home in Allentown. I will treasure that brief snapshot in time for a very long time.

No. 1 -- Seeing his actual bust in its new home inside the Hall of Fame in Canton. The lines were long on Sunday before the Hall of Fame game but I was determined to see it. You have to bend down to get a good look at it, and I wish it was up higher. But you know what, he's there and that's all that matters.

As I covered all of the festivities surrounding Andre Reed's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend in Canton, I thought about the fact that this was something that's unlikely to ever happen again -- a local guy making it to Canton.

At least it won't happen during my Morning Call career, and maybe not even while I am around, period.

But after what I saw tonight, you know what, I changed my mind. It could happen again one day.

Who knows? It might even happen to the guy who made his pro debut in the same stadium one night after Reed's big moment.

Ok, Ok. Yes, it may be a short walk across the parking lot from where Sunday night's Hall of Fame exhibition game was played to making the actual Hall of Fame itself.

But in terms of football success, it's hardly a walk in the parking lot to make the Hall of Fame. It takes years, maybe decades, and hundreds of games of playing at a high level to even be considered for enshrinement in the HOF. A couple of Super Bowl victories would help, too.

That said, Parkland graduate Andre Williams impressed the crowd of 22,000 inside Fawcett Stadium and a national television audience by rushing for 48 yards on seven carries in his first game, including a 3-yard TD run that was the first touchdown of the 2014 NFL preseason.

Williams, who led the nation in rushing last fall at Boston College and was a fourth-round pick in the draft, ran hard between the tackles as expected and popped outside for a 21-yard run, all in the first half of what turned out to be a 17-13 Giants win over the Bills.

We'll have much more on Williams (seen during the postgame media session at the left) in a story in Tuesday's Morning Call, but Williams definitely looked like he belonged in the NFL and looked like a guy capable of contributing to the Giants immediately as a rookle.

Granted, Williams' big runs on a 12-play, 80-yard drive came against the Bills' second-team defense, but the former Morning Call player of the year looks like he can make plays against any defense.

"He ran with speed and power, seemed to hit the hole well and got the ball outside," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "He seemed to do some good things."

Williams seemed to handle his time with the New York media well, too, during the postgame session which unfolded right on the field in Canton.

"I am very happy with my debut," he said. "I was happy I was able to get my feet wet and stay healthy and come out with a win. It was a good experience.

"It felt great to score. Once I got in the end zone, my mind went blank and it was a great feeling. We had a great push by the O-line and our fullback and the end zone was wide open."

Next up for the Giants and Williams is a game against the Steelers Saturday night at Giants Stadium.

But it's not every weekend you get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so I guess he's doing fine.

Reed didn't wrap up his party on Saturday night/Sunday morning until about 3 a.m. and yet he had another appearance Sunday afternoon at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

Although this was another well-done production complete with special intros, lights and the whole deal, it was actually a rather informal Q-and-A roundtable hosted by Reed's friend and former Bills teammate James Lofton.

Only a few members of Andre's family attended and it was nice to catch up with them briefly after the roundtable. Here are some photos from Sunday in Canton.

The family photo by the way includes Joyce Reed-Ebling, her husband John, daughter Teshia, son-in-law Jim and Teshia and Jim's daugthers Camryn and Sage.

I have been working at The Morning Call for 35 years, the last 32 as a full-time writer.

Saturday will go down as one of my all-time favorite career days, if not No. 1.

From walking alongside Andre Reed and the Dieruff entourage down the streets of Canton during a parade in the morning to seeing Andre's big moment arrive on that stage at Canton's Fawcett Stadium to a celebration party that lasted into the wee hours of Sunday morning, wow. what a day.

What a full day. What an exhausting day. What a wonderful day.

I brought my son, Chris, along with me to Canton. He played high school football and appreciates this game more than any other.

The weekend has been a thrill for him as well.

He was with me at Andre's party and got wide-eyed as he saw some of the game's greatest players like Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, John Randle and Bruce Smith pass by in the intimate rooms.

He was able to shake hands and even got his picture taken with a few of them.

Me? I was more interested in talking with and hanging out with some of my legends, people who helped shape my life at Dieruff so many years ago; people like Bruce Trotter, Bill Wood, John Molotzak, Larry Lewis, Ted Phillips and Keith Newhard. Dieruff alum Gene Legath, who I've known for years as a local coach (he actually taught Chris at Emmaus) was also there.

They were all there, basking in the glory of one of the best days in Lehigh Valley, Allentown and yes, Dieruff High School history.

Here's some of those special guys -- Trotter, Legath and Molotzak, -- with me early Sunday morning in downtown Canton and I apologize for the darkness of the photos, but remember it was a party.

Members of the Dieruff High ROTC program, the Dieruff band and a few members of the Husky football team got the thrill of a lifetime on Saturday morning when they got to march in the Timken Steel Grand Parade on the streets of Canton, Ohio.

It's all part of Hall of Fame weekend, and to me, one of the greatest moments in Lehigh Valley sports history.

This was a spectacular parade featuring floats, balloons, high school and college bands, past Hall of Fame inductees and, of course, this year's enshrinement class including Dieruff and Kutztown University alum Andre Reed. It had 109 units and lased two hours. I love our area's Halloween parades, but put them all together and it probably didn't match all that was on display here.

What a glorious moment for Andre, his family, Dieruff, Kutztown, the entire Lehigh Valley.

Hopefully some of these photos below convey how magical this moment was for so many. Having walked alongside the Reed/Dieruff contingent for at least two miles on the 2.5-mile route, all I can say is that I am exhausted, but very happy to have experienced this special moment.

I will never forget the people -- three and four deep along the route r-- ising to their feet to salute the colors of this country as the Dieruff ROTC program walked in step along the route.

I will never forget hearing people shout "USA!" or "Allentown, Pennsylvania!"

And make no mistake, Andre is as popular as any of tonight's inductees. There are a lot of Bills fans and Andre Reed fans here.

On a weekend full of goose bumps, this parade provided many more.

Take a look at these photos.

And by the way, on about the eighth picture below that's Dieruff grad and longtime friend Barb Weiss Snyder breaking through to give Andre a hug while he was still in his car on the parade. That was a cool moment.

Not only for Andre Reed, but for everyone from the Lehigh Valley who got to experience the gold jacket dinner and ceremony tonight at the Canton Memorial Civic Center. I admit, even I got caught up in the moment as many of the great players I admired as a kid gathered right before my eyes.

If it didn't sink in before how special this accomplisment is for Andre Reed, it certainly registered in a big way tonight as some of the greatest names in NFL history -- all-time legends like Jim Brown, Joe Greene, Gale Sayers, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and many others welcomed the former Dieruff High, Kutztown University and Buffalo Bill star to their special fraternity.

Tomorrow figures to be an even bigger day, starting with a parade in the morning and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement ceremony at night.

Tears will be sure to flow as they did often on this emotional night, especially when Jim Kelly, Reed's quarterback and close friend, was introduced to a crowd of over 4,500.

Kelly is battling cancer, but refused to miss his buddy's special weekend. Talk about friendship. Talk about a special relationship. What a moment when they embraced as Reed made his way through the gauntlet of Hall of Famers.

Here are some of my photos from a night that I won't soon forget. And in one of them, you'll see Joyce Reed-Ebling, Andre's mother, jumping for joy after seeing her son receive his special jacket.

To get you ready for Saturday night's festivities in Canton, the NFL Network debuted a special hour-long look at the life Andre Reed on Thursday night.

It was not called "A Football Life" as expected, but was very similar to what you see in "A Football Life" series.

One mistake was made immediately, however. Just like the famous Billy Joel song "Allentown," the first scene of the documentary shows the SteelStacks of Bethlehem while it says Allentown, Pennsylvania on the screen.

Bethlehem is the steel town, not Allentown.

Other than that and a slight misprounciation of Dieruff, the documentary was very, very good.

The Reed kids -- Tyrone, Dion and Teshia -- came across exceptionally well as did Andre's mother, Joyce, and Andre's head coach at Dieruff, Larry Lewis. Wonderful interviews and it was nice to see Roosevelt Park, S. Filmore Street and Dieruff High's practice field get so much love.

A couple of things I learned after all of these years, and remember, my first story on Andre Reed goes back to 1981:

I didn't know that the late Gino Calcagni, one of the key top assistants at Kutztown, suggested Andre change from QB to wide receiver.

I didn't know Kevin Easterling, a former Dieruff star, called up the Reeds on Draft Day and pretended to be a representative of the Oakland Raiders and drew the ire of Calvin Reed.

I didn't know Calvin, after conquering alcholism, had to write letters to each of his kids and said "I can't change the past" but wanted a brighter future.

I didn't know all of the Buffalo Bills and their families were invited to Kelly's house -- win or lose -- for postgame get-togethers whether the team won or lost.

There was so much more.

Just an enjoyable hour that for me moves so quickly through a breathtaking career. Just once, after all of the these years, you'd think Scott Norwood would have made that field goal against the Giants, but it still goes wide right and sets the stage for those four straight losses in the Super Bowl.

But as pointed out, it was not amazing that the Bills lost four straight Super Bowls. It was amazing that they made it to four straight.

We would have liked to have seen a little footage of Andre with his kids and see something of how he interacts with them when we now know the whole story about Calvin and his impact on that entire family.

in all of his appearances in Allentown, Andre's kids are seldom here, but they're great looking kids and you'll probably see them during Saturday night's enshrinement ceremonies.

It was a mixed bag for former Allen and DeSales star Darnell Braswell on Thursday night.

He scored 34 points and actually did a good job in "holding" former Canary teammate Terrence Roderick to 35 as his Pammer Chiropractic team beat Certified Chemical 87-67 in the finals of the 25th annual Tournament of Champions at the Catasauqua Playground.

However, the high school team Braswell helps to coach, Central Catholic, fell to Reading in the Stellar Summer League semifinals at Cedar Beach. The Vikings got another solid offensive night from Zay Jennings, but fell 40-31 to the Knights.

So, it sets up a Parkland-Reading final to end the summer season at 7 p.m. Friday. They were the top two seeds going into the league tournament. The Trojans will be trying for a summer hat trick after winning the Stellar and SportsFest tournaments. To my knowledge, coach Andy Stephens' has yet to lose a game this summer.

Hopefully, the weather stays good and that game can be played at Cedar Beach rather than indoors. That's where last year's final between Central Catholic and Dieruff was held -- at Muhlenberg's Memorial Hall.

As for Braswell, I asked him if he still thought about playing overseas the way Roderick has for many years, most recently in Israel.

Certainly, I think he's capable of playing in Europe and making a few dollars.

Braswell said a professional career is no longer in his thinking, but he still loves to play the game.

"You've got to keep playing until you can't," he said. "There may be a point in time when I can't play, but right now I'm 25 years old and I still enjoy it.

"I've learned from a lot of great mentors in my life -- coach [Doug] Snyder, coach [Scott] Coval -- and many others. Right now I see my role as trying to pass down my knowledge to the younger kids who are hungry to do what we did and that's get to college and allow basketball to get them somewhere in life."

Braswell can still play and teach the game with the best of them.

CCHS is fortunate to have him on its staff and on Thursday night Pammer Chiropractic was fortunate to him on their side.